LaCrosse (WQOW)- All Regis Catholic Schools will remain open. That announcement came from the Diocese of La Crosse Wednesday afternoon.
In 2010 the school system proposed closing either St. Mary School in Altoona or St. James School in Eau Claire to save money. Bishop Callahan was reluctant to close a grade school without taking a closer look at the entire school system, so a commission was created. That commission sent three recommendations to the bishop. Bishop Callahan selected the first option, the only one that did not recommend closing a school.
The Regis Catholic School System will operate as is during the 2012 and 2013 school year. The following year will begin a reorganization aimed at saving money.
Some of the more notable changes include moving sixth grade classes from Regis Middle School to Immaculate Conception School. Classes in the elementary schools will also be restructured. The Regis Central Offices will move to currently empty facilities at St. Olaf Parish to save on rental costs.
Overall, the changes will require approximately six fewer teaching positions and are expected to save $250,000 dollars annually. If the diocese would have gone forward with plans to close an elementary school they had expected to save $300,000 dollars.
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LA CROSSE (Press Release) – After reviewing the recommendations of the Episcopal Commission, that was received on Dec. 30, 2011, Bishop William P. Callahan has decided that no school of the Regis Catholic School System in Eau Claire will be closed.
Shortly after his installation as the bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse on Aug. 11, 2010, Bishop Callahan received a recommendation from Regis Catholic Schools to close either St. Mary School in Altoona or St. James School in Eau Claire. The closing of a school was projected to save $300,000 annually. The recommendation was based on research and reports by the School Study Committee of the Eau Claire Deanery.
Bishop Callahan reviewed the reports along with other correspondence received from parishioners and students, and said that he was reluctant to sacrifice a grade school without further study; and in January of 2011, created an Episcopal Commission to study the issue.
The Episcopal Commission consisted of four committees: Catholic Identity, Growth and Statistics, Perception, and Finance and Financial Support. Each committee consisted of three people from around the diocese with expertise in their area. There were priests and religious, lawyers, retired principals, current administrators from public and private schools, along with other professionals on the committees.
The Episcopal Commission's report presented three options to Bishop Callahan, who selected the first option; the only option that did not propose the closing of a school.
The Episcopal Commission proposed and Bishop Callahan accepted the recommendation that will maintain the Regis Catholic School System "as is" for the 2012 – 2013 school year, while making preparations for structural changes to take effect during the 2013 – 2014 school year that will provide additional efficiencies.
Starting in the 2013-2014 school year, Regis Catholic Schools will look like this:
Immaculate Conception School
- Immaculate Conception School will receive grade six moved from Regis Middle School.
- Immaculate Conception will have three sections each of grades three to six.
- Before- and after-school onsite child care will be added.
- The gym will be used for middle school athletics and club type activities for grades five and six.
St. Mary School
- Will have two sections each of kindergarten, first grade, second grade and preschool.
- Before- and-after school onsite child care will be added.
- Will have one section of four-year-old kindergarten.
St. James the Greater School
- Will have a pre-school, and one section each of kindergarten, first and second grades.
- Before- and after-school child care will be provided.
- Will explore the possibility of day care or extended day options.
Regis Middle School
- Grade six will move to Immaculate Conception School, leaving grades seven and eight.
Regis High School
- Will remain as is with grades 9, 10, 11 and 12.
Regis Catholic School Central Offices
- The Regis Central Offices will move to the currently empty school facilities at St. Olaf Parish. This will provide a savings of the rental costs that are paid for their current office space.
- Locating the central offices at St. Olaf will provide additional visibility for Catholic Schools, encouraging other parents to consider a Catholic education for their children.
Elementary School name changes
The Regis Catholic Schools name will be applied to the elementary schools and they will be noted by their location:
- Regis Catholic School at Immaculate Conception
- Regis Catholic School at St. Mary
- Regis Catholic School at St. James
Cost Savings
- Reorganization of the elementary schools will require approximately six fewer teaching positions, which will be a cost savings to the Regis Catholic School System.
Bishop Callahan believes that keeping all of the current schools open will enhance our Catholic identity in Eau Claire. "Catholic identity is everything. This is what brought the Commission about," Bishop Callahan said in a previous statement. "We look at things through the view and lens of Jesus Christ. That's the value of Catholic education. It's not that we just provide a school system. I can't stress that enough. Catholic education teaches the importance of God's presence in all areas of human endeavor. That's the key – that's what's driving all this."
